Khartoum, Sudan: A gigantic cloud of dust known as "Haboob" advances over the city on 29 April 2007. These seasonal type of monsoons can reach a height of 3000 feet and can change the landscape in the few hours they last

China, Beijing: Lights come on in buildings at around 1pm on June 27 2007 during a rainstorm that casts the city in darkness. Beijing 2008 Olympics chiefs promise to have the best weather forecasting system of any Olympics Games

Banda Aceh, Indonesia: An Acehnese woman kneels to be caned by Shariah law authorities on January 12 2007. The Indonesian government agreed to allow Shariah law in Aceh four years ago as part of negotiations to end the 29-year war between separatist rebels and the military

Dhaka, Bangladesh: A large numbers of pitchers and buckets are kept in an queue for collecting drinking water supplied by soldiers on 25 June 2007. Access to drinking water is a regular problem in central areas in the city

Rafah Border Crossing, Egypt: Palestinians wait in and outside buses to enter the Rafah border crossing terminal between the Gaza Strip and Egypt on February 7 2007. Israel, citing security concerns, has kept Gaza's main gateway to the outside world closed for long periods

Pristina, Kosovo, Serbia: Kosovo Albanians watch on a TV screen UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari's news conference in a restaurant on 02 February 2007. Earlier in the day a proposal delivered by former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari presented to Serbian and Kosovar leaders did not "explicitly mention the independence of Kosovo, nor Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity in relation to our southern province," Serbian president Boris Tadic said in a statement.

Tripoli, Lebanon: In the middle of the image, two Lebanese soldiers stand next to a Red Cross vehicle amid the rubble of a building hit by a Lebanese artillery shell during fighting at the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr el-Bared

Rangoon, Burma: Monks are surrounded by cheering crowds as they march in protest against the military junta in Burma on 24 September 2007. Days of protests by thousands of monks, despite warnings of reprisals, rocked Burma

Moscow, Russia: Members of the pro-Kremlin movement Nashi protest against the British ambassador to Russia, Anthony Brenton, outside the British Embassy on December 5 2007. Nashi claimed the UK was sponsoring opposition during Russia's parliamentary election

Tenerife, Spain: An African immigrant is seen at Los Cristianos harbour, Canary Islands, after a group of 115 immigrants were intercepted by two Civil Guard Maritime Rescue patrol boats while trying to reach land on a small boat on 16 July 2007.